So, I've put my Terrador map aside for now and am focusing on a key region. For this one I decided to go with a topographic style, and I just hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew, because this map is HUGE. The example here is at 50% resolution and really high jpeg compression just to fit it within the attachment limits. The smaller grid is 1km, the larger grid 10km.

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"The Vale" is a region on the SW frontier of Terrador, comprising the County of Guldoke in the west and the southern portion of the Duchy of Estansi to the east. In the SE corner is a mountain pass which leads into the Vespan Empire - a long-standing enemy of the kingdom. The dominant geographic feature of The Vale is Cauldron Lake; an immense, ancient caldera.

Viking

09-05-2013, 10:08 PM

This looks pretty awesome so far. What software did you use to create this?

Gumboot

09-06-2013, 12:18 AM

This looks pretty awesome so far. What software did you use to create this?

It's just photoshop, with Wilbur for the underlying heightmap.

Lingon

09-06-2013, 03:55 AM

Very cool so far, I like the style. Maybe a little bit modern – if I remember correctly, Terrador is medieval-ish, right? – but whatever :D Will follow this!

AvuncularMontague

09-06-2013, 06:07 PM

It looks great, really convincing. Did Wilbur make those contour lines too, along with the heightmap?

Gumboot

09-07-2013, 03:37 AM

It looks great, really convincing. Did Wilbur make those contour lines too, along with the heightmap?

No the contours are from photoshop, using the "trace contour" function under Filter>Stylize. I just had to determine the vertical range of the map to determine the scale match between elevation and the grey scale level, so I could get contour lines at the right altitudes (the heavier lines are 100m intervals and the lighter lines are 50m intervals). I did have to do a bunch of manual re-drawing in places where specific geography was required, which is why the underlying relief shading doesn't quite seem to match up with the contours in a couple of places.

I am using my government-issued 1:50 000 topographic maps as a style guide (and will use their key) but I couldn't quite match for scale because the map would have simply been far too big (which is why my interim contours are at 50m intervals instead of 20m intervals!). And yes, Lingon you're quite right; the style is totally at odds with the time period. I aren't any good at those amazing artistic maps a lot of you do with the little mountains and trees so I'm sticking with doing maps purely for the purpose of accurately displaying geographic information for now, hence the satellite map for Terrador and now this topographic map.

One day I might take a crack at one of those artistic maps. :)

For now I will have to wrestle with this behemoth. The file is already over 1.5GB. My computer is really struggling.

Steel General

09-07-2013, 09:29 AM

Looks like a fine start, thought the grid tends to overwhelm the detail of the map.

randigpanzrall

09-07-2013, 11:00 AM

Perfect work, as usual gumboot! I' m impressed by the fine details especially of the mountains. A tutorial of this would be fine. You did them with Wilbur and photoshop? Even when this map-style is quite of modern and governmental style it could show the worlds situation in medieval times. Then it' s a lookback to the situation in the past with the knowledgement and possibility of today.

The maps with more artistic intentions better fits to the way of seeing the world in the past, whether this map allows better reflections on the past from the nowaday point of view. So far this cartographical work is maybe less beautyful but more interesting and detailed. Later, it could inspire gumboot for some artistic tryouts maybe.

Looking forward for more to come

Gumboot

09-07-2013, 07:24 PM

Looks like a fine start, thought the grid tends to overwhelm the detail of the map.

Good catch, you're quite right. I think I'll have a play with the transparency and if it remains overwhelming I might drop the smaller grid back to 2km. That's essentially what I did with the contours; I began with 20m intervals and it was just too, too crazy, so I cut it back.

Azelor

09-08-2013, 12:04 PM

How big is your file : 10 426px x 7 802px ? That's not so bad, but with 1.5 GB you must have a lot of layers! If you continue like this you will hit a wall. You should try reducing the nuber of layers or deleting/merge unnecessary overlaping layers. You could also try having multiple files containing differents layer and only merge them for the final version. That way you don't have to endure to work with a massive 1.5 GB file, where just using the pencil makes the computer lag.

Just saying because you map is very detailed and is looking good but you need to keep an eye on it's size.

arsheesh

09-08-2013, 06:24 PM

Looks like a fine start, thought the grid tends to overwhelm the detail of the map.

He lives! Great to see you again SG.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

Gumboot

09-11-2013, 07:11 AM

How big is your file : 10 426px x 7 802px ? That's not so bad, but with 1.5 GB you must have a lot of layers!.

Yeah that's the size but there's not that many layers. Although... I just deleted all the contour layers and reduced it to 1.3 GB...

Maezar

09-12-2013, 03:20 AM

Sorry if this isn't the right place to ask, but what is Wilbur? I struggle to draw these realistic topo maps by hand and if there's a tool it would be great to know more. :-)

Wilbur is a little toy that's been undergoing on and off development for almost 20 years now. software (http://www.ridgenet.net/~jslayton/software.html) is its home. It's the direct ancestor of ProFantasy's Fractal Terrains product ( Fractal Terrains 3 world generation software (http://www.profantasy.com/products/ft.asp) - get your copy today ). Wilbur can do many things, including importing lots of terrain types, creating random terrain, erosion of terrain, rendering of the terrain (including contour lines), and lots of other things.

A search for Wilbur here should have yielded many, many threads. The Eriond one is probably the most popular one, though.